This blog is my attempt to document our busy but BLESSED lives raising and educating our children for His glory. A child of God, wife to one, and mom to 6 fabulous kids. We are in our 16th year of homeschooling using a Classical ~ Literature based approach.

Come along for the good, the bad & the ugly.



Thursday, December 26, 2019

GHW Yearbook photos


Recently we received our Co-Op yearbook photos and I absolutely love how they turned out! Especially mine because I was so sick last year when I took my yearbook photo. For 2020 I am once again going to challenge myself to use my big camera {Canon 60D} more. It's so easy to just whip out my iPhone because it takes great pictures too, but Mr. M replaced my beloved Sigma lens this Christmas so now I have no excuse. I haven't decided if I am going to join in any monthly photo challenges or to just challenge myself to take a picture everyday. Do you have a favorite photo challenge? If so, let me know! I have 6 days to decided so time will tell. 







© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Merry Christmas 2019

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! We hope this letter finds all of our family and friends happy, healthy, and blessed by this Christmas season. Our family has had an amazing 2019 filled with exciting trips and equally exciting news and events!





Highlights of our year:









~ Marie graduated in May from Liberty University, Magnum Cum Laude, and secured an IT Software Engineer job at shipyard. She is currently on track to move out to a new apartment complex in early 2020 and to return to school for her Masters degree.







~ Madison officially graduated high school in June and is attending the University of Oklahoma on a 4yr-Air Force ROTC scholarship. She is excelling in her Physics major and thriving in college life, including making the Dean's List for first semester. 





~ Mikayla is a Junior in high school and striving to secure a collegiate scholarship to compete college gymnastics. She has not narrowed down a school quite yet, but we are prayerful that will come within the next few months or at least by signing day November 2020. She is competing her third year as a Level 10 and working hard to attend JO Nationals in WA State, her birthplace, in 2020.





~ Montana is an official teenager and in 7th grade and has really stepped up to be my right-hand girl since Madison left. She is doing great in school as well, when she wants to. Yes, I have another Madison on my hands, but this time I am prepared and know how to challenge Montana so she is most successful and challenged. She is still playing softball with the local Christian school team and loving it. Montana also enjoys drawing and creating and reading.



~ McKenzie is in 4th grade and doing great! Math and Science are her two favorite subjects with spelling being her least favorite. We have officially gone Gluten Free for her and it seems to be helping curb the side effects that she experiences from her diagnosis last year of Gastroparesis ~ delayed stomach emptying. She has grown about 2.5 inches since last December so this is great progress. This year she is competing Level 7 for gymnastics.





~ Micah is in Kindergarten and officially a beginning reader! While school is not his favorite thing to do, I have figured out what works best to complete his daily lessons while leaving plenty of time for play with his beloved cars and action figures. Micah joined Cub Scout Lions in September and plays Shetland baseball in the Fall and Spring. Next year he wants to try wrestling, oh my!



~ Mr. M has been home for since mid-November and we are all enjoying this time together before he heads back to Mississippi. He has just a few short months before he returns back to VA permanently for his next set of orders, yay! He has picked up some new hobbies while away including fishing/crabbing and flying drones with his friends.


~ I am busy holding down the fort, managing the house and educating the kids with my trusty color-coded planner(s) not far from my side. For 2020 I am pursuing my journey to complete my Court Reporting studies to become a freelance Stenographer. I actually started reviewing my Theory in November and I am writing cleanly at 40 WPM. I hope to gain a scholarship to an online school in March/April when I am fully ready to start speed building. 



~ We added a new four-legged family member when Montana got a Russian Blue kitty in early December. She finally decided to name her Smokie even though I think she looks more like a Maggie. Smokie is a great addition to our family, everyone just loves her! Plus, she doesn't aggravate Marie's allergies so that is a huge plus. Max and Mollie are doing great as well. They are full of energy and love to play, especially with Micah.


 From our house to yours we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 




© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Wordless Wednesday




© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Wordless Wednesday




© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Wordless Wednesday



© 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.